Hardware book like "Code Complete"?

Hi all,

Is there some hardware RTL book like "Code Complete" by Steve
McConnell? 

Thanks! 
Davy

> Is there some hardware RTL book like "Code Complete" by Steve
> McConnell?

I don't think so, but that would be super cool if there was. Have you
considered writing one?

My impression is that hardware people don't like to write much, and
even if they do, they don't have time to sit down and document all of
the important "big issues" that new people need to learn in order to be
effective.

But if anyone writes a book like this it will fly off the shelves!

Hi Eric,
It is not because hardware engineers are lazy, but most of what they
have written for any interesting projects are properties of their
companies that prevent them from disclosing, not mention writing a
book.

SunMicro system published their CPU core with 350K code lines. If there
is a retired Sun engineer who had involved in the design and will write
something about the CPU project, I would like to be the first one to
order his book. Nobody can read a CPU design with 350K code lines and
at the same time without comments and introductions.

Weng

Eric wrote:
> > Is there some hardware RTL book like "Code Complete" by Steve
> > McConnell?
>
> I don't think so, but that would be super cool if there was. Have you
> considered writing one?
>
> My impression is that hardware people don't like to write much, and
> even if they do, they don't have time to sit down and document all of
> the important "big issues" that new people need to learn in order to be
> effective.
> 
> But if anyone writes a book like this it will fly off the shelves!

Eric wrote:

> But if anyone writes a book like this it will fly off the shelves!

A few hundred copies would fly off the shelves.

There's probably about 10,000 digital designers
in the US. Not all of those do hardware description
and not all of those write their own RTL.
Those are not numbers that would excite
a major publisher.
Writing and editing a book is two long years
of work, whatever the subject.

            -- Mike Treseler

Mike Treseler wrote:
> Eric wrote:
>
> > But if anyone writes a book like this it will fly off the shelves!
>
> A few hundred copies would fly off the shelves.
>
> There's probably about 10,000 digital designers
> in the US. Not all of those do hardware description
> and not all of those write their own RTL.
> Those are not numbers that would excite
> a major publisher.
> Writing and editing a book is two long years
> of work, whatever the subject.
>
>             -- Mike Treseler

And even in a metro hub like Boston, MIT Cambridge area, a good book
store inside the Microcenter hardly ever sold any of these Hardware
books to any of us, the books were really too expensive at $70-$150 &
up so were mostly browsed (and dated). They dumped them at $10 a pop
instead and now stick to the VB, Java, Web, & ofcourse "Code Complete"
stuff that does move.

Softbooks in Marlboro also moved on sigh.

When you visit DAC & other big hardware design events, you can often
talk directly with several fine publishers, they are often quite eager
to talk to would be authors too. They also have all the relevant and
upcoming books in their booths with a modest show discount too.

I get the impression that unless you are writing for the college
market, the payback for the author would never cover the time spent.
And by the time you are ready to write, the subject is already changed.

John Jakson
transputer guy

In article <4iak6qF2v1p3U1@individual.net>,
Mike Treseler  <mike_treseler@comcast.net> wrote:
>Eric wrote:
>
>> But if anyone writes a book like this it will fly off the shelves!
>
>A few hundred copies would fly off the shelves.
>
>There's probably about 10,000 digital designers
>in the US. Not all of those do hardware description
>and not all of those write their own RTL.
>Those are not numbers that would excite
>a major publisher.
>Writing and editing a book is two long years
>of work, whatever the subject.

In the software world if it took two years to write a book the content 
would be seriously outdated by the time the book came out.  A lot of the 
publishers of software books (O'Reilly, The Pragmatic Programmers even 
APress now) are aiming for a six month cycle.  In fact those publishers 
have now gotten the idea of selling pre-release titles as PDFs: you buy 
the pre-release PDF early for a reduced fee so you have access to the 
content and then later on when the final book comes out you get the paper 
version for an additional fee. That way your readers can access time-sensitive 
information early on.  

The other issue with hardware books like this is that the market is 
relatively small (I'm guessing that the ratio of software engineers to 
hardware engineers is at least 30:1).  It 
could be a good opportunity to self publish where 
you publish not paper books but PDFs (this is happening on the software side).  
Then instead of having to pay $70 for a title because the audience is 
small, the author charges $20 for a pdf and gets to keep all of it instead 
of getting a small royalty from a publisher.  If you manage to sell 1000 
of them you've made $20K and that's generally a lot better than what you'd 
get from a publisher.  One publisher (The Pragmatic Programmers) even 
publishes mini-books which are less than 100 pages (not paper, pdf only) 
which they sell for $8 to $10.  It wouldn't be hard to write 100 pages in 
2 to 3 months (part-time even).

Phil

On 21 Jul 2006 04:42:09 GMT, ptkwt@aracnet.com (Phil Tomson) wrote:

<Stuff snipped>
>
>The other issue with hardware books like this is that the market is 
>relatively small (I'm guessing that the ratio of software engineers to 
>hardware engineers is at least 30:1).  It 
>could be a good opportunity to self publish where 
>you publish not paper books but PDFs (this is happening on the software side).  
>Then instead of having to pay $70 for a title because the audience is 
>small, the author charges $20 for a pdf and gets to keep all of it instead 
>of getting a small royalty from a publisher.  If you manage to sell 1000 
>of them you've made $20K and that's generally a lot better than what you'd 
>get from a publisher.  One publisher (The Pragmatic Programmers) even 
>publishes mini-books which are less than 100 pages (not paper, pdf only) 
>which they sell for $8 to $10.  It wouldn't be hard to write 100 pages in 
>2 to 3 months (part-time even).

Self-publishing on actual, old-fashioned paper has become surprisingly
affordable of late.  Take a look at lulu.com or blurb.com and be
amazed.

Bob Perlman
Cambrian Design Works
http://www.cambriandesign.com

In the Wallace & Gromit film "The Wrong Trousers", Gromit uses a book
called "Electronics For Dogs" to help him convert the NASA
technotrousers to remote controlled operation. Is this the kind of
thing you had in mind?

Cheers
TW

Eric wrote:
>> Is there some hardware RTL book like "Code Complete" by Steve
>> McConnell?

It's not exactly the same but "The Pentium Chronicles" by
Robert Colwell is worth looking at.

--Jon-

Davy wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> Is there some hardware RTL book like "Code Complete" by Steve
> McConnell?
> 

Unlikely. Creating software is far less complex and variable than creating
hardware.

Ian